By Andrew Ganz

Monday, Nov 28th, 2011 @ 12:10 pm

General Motors says that it will provide a loan car to any Chevrolet Volt owner overly concerned with their car's safety during a federal investigation into the range-extended EV's battery system.

The Volt has come under fire in recent weeks after a number of high-profile incidents where the vehicle's lithium-ion battery caught fire following an accident - by nearly a month in some cases.

GM will contact every Volt owner to attempt to clarify their concerns. Chevrolet has delivered 5,329 Volts and each owner should receive a letter within the next few days.

"We are contacting all Volt owners to assure them and reassure them the car is safe to drive," said Mark Reuss, head of General Motors' North American region, in a conference call with reporters. "The Volt is our pride and joy and we will do all we can to make Volt owners as happy with it as we can."

NHTSA's investigation stems from a fire that occurred in a vehicle that had been crash tested three weeks prior.

Update: GM has decided to share the Volt's letter with everyone. View it here.

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